Flight Risk
by Miles Nitro Wolfe
Summary: After being declared a flight risk by numerous doctors and his family, Brian Walker is flown out to Inaba, Japan in an attempt to reintegrate him into society. Their plan works far better than anyone could have expected, but when faced with a violent trial, can he stay grounded? OCxRise YuXYukiko YosukeXChie, KanjiXNaoto Character listing changed to OC/Rise to reflect main pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, this is a re-write/redo of my current Persona 4 OC story Live Free or Die Trying. I didn't really like how it was turning out after all, and my muse had sort of escaped. So, let's try it again.**

"Talking." – Normal Speech  
'_Thinking.' _– Speaking to Self  
(_Talking)_ – Foreign Language

**As always, all intellectual properties belong to their rightful owners, and I only own the main character of this particular tale, which happens to be my OC.**

**With that out of the way, let's begin, shall we?**

* * *

The train was rumbling down the tracks as its occupants all glanced to the center. The center of their attention was a foreigner – an American that stood at 6 feet and 1 inch tall, had dark reddish-brown hair that curled upwards at its edges due to being covered by a black and white beanie. He had black, thinly rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, blue eyes scanning the unknown surroundings. He wore a white thermal shirt under a blue t-shirt that had the word Exile written on it in silver, and slightly baggy jeans and black work boots to cover his bottom half. A silver band was on his right ring finger, and his nails were painted in white. Overall, he wasn't a typical passenger on a train headed to Yasoinaba station in Japan. Nearby, on a seat, a boy about the same age as the foreigner with a silver bowl-like haircut was watching him with curiosity. Then, for a split second, their eyes locked before they both shook their heads and thought the same thing. '_This next year is going to be very interesting.' _

The next two hours went by without much of anything happening. The occasional passenger stop was made, and each time a new arrival settled in, the foreigner was stared at for about 15 seconds and given a quick look over before returning to their devices. The stranger thought to himself, '_I guess I should get used to this. I look so different from everyone else here, so the staring is just one more thing to happen to me. I'm just glad I understand Japanese well enough to have a conversation and go to school.'_ He sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. Unwrapping the headphones from around the device, he put them into the correct ears, and touched the screen a few times, loud blaring music flowing into his ears.

And then, without warning, both the foreign and the bowl-cut haired teens gasped in unison. The boy with the bowl-cut slunk deeper into his seat, passed out. Meanwhile, the foreigner that was standing dropped to the floor of the train like a marionette with its strings cut. Instead of people rushing to either teenager's aid, they just stood and sat where they were, locked in their positions. For you see, neither male actually passed out, but their consciousnesses had left their bodies temporarily.

* * *

**Bowlcut's Perspective**

When my eyes opened, the first thing I could discern was the color blue. Lots of blue. When my vision finally focused, I noticed that I was in the back seat of a limo, and the upholstery and all of the curios and fixings were blue. As my eyes panned the location, I noticed a dwarfishly looking older man with a nose of great length and an ever-classic skullet haircut. "Ah... It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny..." The man laughed, his voice having a mysterious quality to it, one I couldn't quite distinguish. "My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" may enter... It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then... Why don't you introduce yourself...?"

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding and spoke as clearly as I could. "Yu Narukami."

"Hm... I see. Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?" Igor made a deck of cards appear out of thin air, and spread them out of the table sitting in front of him. "Do you believe in fortune telling?" He asked me, and I shook my head. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different... " He chuckled. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" My head cocked to the side slightly, I motioned for him to continue. He flipped the first card over. "Hm... The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is..." He flipped the next one over. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery...' Very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny... If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen."

The cards vanished. I didn't want to believe a word he said, but he was way too detailed for me to just shrug it off. I finished my musing as I saw Igor begin to talk again. "Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself." He gestured to my right, and I saw a woman wearing what could only be described as a padded, blue-as-the-room business suit. She had pristine silver hair, and the most unnatural eyes I had ever seen, they were yellow.

She spoke with a clear, yet somewhat restrained voice. "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey."

Igor opened his mouth once more, "We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell..." And with that, my vision went black again, and I woke up on the train, the sweat pouring down my forehead. I rubbed it off with the back of my hand and took a deep breath.

* * *

**Foreigner's Perspective**

When my eyes opened, the first thing I could discern was the color blue. Lots of blue. When my vision finally focused, I noticed that I was in the back seat of a limo, and the upholstery and all of the curios and fixings were blue. As my eyes panned the location, I noticed a dwarfishly looking older man with a nose of great length and an ever-classic skullet haircut. "Ah... It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny..." The man laughed, his voice having a mysterious quality to it, one I couldn't quite distinguish. "My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" may enter... It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then... Why don't you introduce yourself...?"

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding and spoke as clearly as I could. "Name's Brian Walker."

"Hm... I see. Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?" Igor made a deck of cards appear out of thin air, and spread them out of the table sitting in front of him. "Do you believe in fortune telling?" He asked me, and I shook my head. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different... " He chuckled. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" My head cocked to the side slightly, I motioned for him to continue. He flipped the first card over. "Hm... The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is..." He flipped the next one over. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery...' Very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny... If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen." The cards vanished.

I didn't believe a word he said. He was way too out there, looked like a panhandler sitting on a milk cart by the 7 train in New York City. I finished my musing as I saw Igor begin to talk again. "Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself." He gestured to my right, and I saw a woman wearing what could only be described as a padded, blue-as-the-room business suit. She had pristine silver hair, and the most unnatural eyes I had ever seen, they were yellow.

She spoke with a clear, yet somewhat restrained voice. "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey."

Igor opened his mouth once more, "We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell..." And with that, my vision went black again, and I woke up on the floor of the train, the sweat pouring down my forehead. I rubbed it off with the back of my hand and took a deep breath before standing back up.

* * *

The next few hours passed by without incident before the conductor came over the P.A. system one last time. "Now approaching Yasoinaba Station. Last stop, Yasoinaba Station." The two boys were the only ones still left on the train and with a shared glance, they stepped off the train and onto the platform.

* * *

**Before you ask, yes, they were both supposed to have the same general thing happen to them in the Velvet Room. Its of my personal opinion that with the power of the Wild Card comes the power to visit said room, but it isn't actually a physical thing. I believe that the Velvet Room is just another facet to the multiple Persona gimmick, if you will. **

**Anyhow, throw me a review if you would, it makes writing easier. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**For the record, I'll be attempting to keep everything in my OC's perspective as opposed to switching around all the time.**

**Hot off the press, Chapter 2 of Flight Risk is being pumped out. Hope you enjoy.**

**Brian's Perspective  
**

* * *

After sighing and realizing that the train was gone, I grabbed my bags and started walking away from the platform. I reached the stairs before connecting my palm with my forehead, making a loud 'smack' sound. I never paid attention to where I was going to be living for the next year, and I was now paying for it. I sat down on the steps, head in my hands. _(What the hell am I supposed to do? If only everyone hadn't been so concerned with me apparently attempting to commit suicide, I might've been able to pay attention long enough to find out where I'm supposed to be living for the next year!)_ I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. Seemed like this was the only way things could happen to me – I'd screw myself over simply because I couldn't be bothered to pay attention to anything I deemed boring. _(Which is a lot of things, I guess.)_

I realized that someone was staring at me from across the parking lot, and I met his stare. He had a little girl cowering behind his leg, and she looked terrified. It wasn't my intention to scare anyone, and I had no idea that I was doing anything scary. The man looked to be middle aged, with dark grey hair and stubble lining his chin. He wore a grey shirt and a loose red tie with black slacks and was dragging on a cigarette.

It was also at this time that I realized the grey bowl haired kid my age was standing next to me, and that this man and girl were walking towards us. _(As if my day couldn't get any FUCKING worse. Now I have to deal with people.)_ Then I realized the man standing over me had a stern look on his face, but it was too late, and he slugged me across the face and grabbed me by the collar of both of my shirts.

_(Don't curse in front of my daughter, you delinquent! And yes, I do speak English. You're Brian, right? I can't believe you'll be staying with us for the next year, Kanji was already bad enough…)_ He was rambling before I interrupted him, my pinky finger in my ear.

"Oi, I speak Japanese. I apologize for cursing in front of your daughter, I wasn't aware you spoke English, so I'm sorry." By the time I was done speaking, I was standing up, towering over him. "I'll be staying with you, but you haven't introduced yourself. You are…who, exactly?"

"Name's Ryotaro Dojima, you can just call me Dojima." He held his hand out for me to shake, and I grasped it with earnest.

"Arigatou, Dojima-oji. And the name of your daughter?" He gave me a stern look when I called him Uncle Dojima, but I had a feeling he knew I meant well.

"This is my daughter Nanako." When he introduced her, she blushed and tried hiding herself in her father's slacks. "Well, go on, say hello!" She smacked him on the back of the thigh, and he chuckled.

"Nice to meet you, Nanako-chan. My name's Brian." I knelt down to her level, and offered my hand. She gently shook it at her father's insistence before returning to her hiding spot.

"The car's over there, you can go put your bags away while I introduce myself to my other tenant." Dojima was looking at the other boy with an unreadable expression, so I just shrugged and grabbed my bags before carrying them to the car.

Just as I loaded the last bag into the car, and was about to shut the trunk door, a hand grasped my shoulder, and a cool voice sounded out. "Don't close it just yet, I gotta load my bags too. I'm Yu Narukami, Dojima-san's nephew." He hoisted a bag into the trunk of his uncle's SUV, and it groaned a bit.

I helped him out with a bag before replying, "So I guess we'll be roommates for the next year, huh?"

He nodded. "Seems that way." We shook hands, and piled into the car.

* * *

I had nodded off at some point during the trip, but when I woke up, we had just pulled into a gas station. As Nanako ran off to the bathroom, and Dojima was having a smoke break, the attendant pumping our gas walked up to us. He was incredibly pale, and had grey hair that fell to his shoulders. "So, you two high school students?" We nodded. His voice was very feminine, but he had no visible feminine features. It was weird to say the least. "If you're ever looking for part time work, you could always help out here. Its honest money for kids your age." After telling him we'd consider it, he offered his hands to both us to shake, and we did. After Dojima and Nanako came back to the car, I suddenly felt very queasy, something akin to what I had felt on the train. I dismissed it before Dojima asked the two of us if we felt all right. Nanako even said we both looked green. Yu and I shared a glance before piling back in the car after a short walk around the shopping district to catch some air.

We arrived at the house 15 minutes later, and we began to unpack the bags from the car. "Your room is at the top of the stairs, hang a right. Bathroom is right across from it. Wasn't expecting two of you, so you'll both have to share the same room. It's big enough for the both of you, hope you don't mind." Yu shook his head. I told Dojima it was nothing to worry about, as we hefted our bags up the stairs.

By the time we had finished unpacking, the sun had just about set, and I was staring out of the window in my new room. _(While the sunset is nice here, something just feels…off. Something big is going to happen soon, I just know it.)_ I sighed and sat down on the couch, looking at my new roommate. "You have enough room, Yu? I figure we'd kind of share the room, no need for diving space or anything." I took my hat off and shook my head, letting my hair shake around a bit before tossing it onto my futon.

"Yeah, I thought about the same. We should be fine." I grinned at him and he smiled at me. "You know, I don't mean to be rude, but…wow, you are a lot taller than I am. Are all Americans this tall?" I shrugged; knowing this line of questioning would be coming soon.

"Maybe? I never really paid attention to my surroundings too much. All the men are around my height, and the ladies are about your height, little shorter? I saw all the stares on the train, never thought they'd end." It was at this point that Nanako knocked on our door. Yu opened it.

"Brian-kun, Yu-kun, dinner's ready!"

"Ahh, thanks, Nanako-chan. I'm starved! We'll be right down." I answered her, and Yu made for the door. I tapped his shoulder and shut the door. "Listen, Yu. I know school starts tomorrow, but after dinner can we talk? I have some things to get off my chest, and I could use a pair of ears." I looked away, hand ruffling through my hair a bit.

"Sure, Brian. Just not too late, alright?" He gave me a quick smile and slid the door open. I walked out after him.

* * *

The both of us headed up the stairs and into our room after thanking Dojima and Nanako for the dinner. Yu sat down on the couch, while I sat down on my futon, arms circled around my knees. I glanced at the door and made sure it was closed before looking at Yu, who had a questioning look on his face. "Dojima-oji knows all about it already, but Nanako shouldn't have to be scared of dealing with what I had to deal with. I don't want her hearing it." Yu shrugged and motioned for me to start.

I sighed. "Where I come from, I'm sort of an outcast. I'm a ginger, I don't follow pop culture, and I don't like most popular things. I suffer from severe depression. So severe, that I attempted suicide 9 times via cutting before being sent here. That why I have long sleeves on in April." I pulled my sleeves up and showed Yu my scars. His eyebrows rose. _'Wow, nothing fazes this guy…'_ I pulled my sleeves back down and continued on with the story. "Like I was saying, because I'm not popular, or look…normal, I guess, I got bullied a lot in school back home. People beating me up, telling me to kill myself, all that shit. I didn't like the idea of fighting. I got fed up with it, though. One day, one kid went too far, and pulled a knife on me after school. I proceeded to flip him onto the floor, dislocate his shoulder, crack 3 ribs, and sliced his arm from shoulder to thumb. He'll have a scar for the rest of his life. I was acquitted in the court case because multiple eyewitnesses saw it, and I was acting in self-defense. That being said, the doctors thought it prudent to send me abroad to cool off, and maybe ease the tension while the lawyers deal with the school." Yu just looked at me. "I bet you think I'm some sort of monster with a penchant for psychosis, huh?"

"No. No, I don't. In fact, I think everyone else needed the reality check you gave that idiot. You seem like a good person, Brian. And I'd be glad to call you a friend. If you'd let me, that is." He stood up and walked over to me, extending his hand. I grabbed it, and shook it with earnest before lying down on the futon, staring at the ceiling. Yu spoke before opening the door. "Dibs on the shower first."

_(You son of a BITCH.) _I heard laughing from the bathroom and knew that Yu had heard me speak. I continued to stare at the ceiling before falling asleep.

* * *

I woke up at 6:30 A.M. sharp and immediately shot out of the futon. I grabbed my uniform for the day and ran to the bathroom, locking the door on the way in. I set everything down on the counter and lifted the toilet seat. After relieving myself of my morning urges, I turned the shower on, and stepped in. After cleaning myself thoroughly, I got out of the shower, and dried off before getting dressed. I brushed my teeth, and filled a cup with ice-cold water. I walked back into my room, and seeing that Yu was awake, I drank the water. _(Next time, I'll get you.)_ I muttered under my breath. I grabbed my bags and nodded to Yu before heading downstairs. Nanako had just prepared breakfast, as Dojima wasn't home.

"Eat up, Brian-kun! I'm going to go tell Yu breakfast is ready," she told me. She ran up the stairs, and then quickly came back down them. "How is it, Brian-kun?"

"Its delicious, Nanako-chan! You make a great breakfast. So where's your school at?" I was asking her questions while everyone ate, to try and keep nice with her, show her I wasn't a bad person.

"Well, my school's on the way to where you both are going, so I'll show you the way then go back to mine." I ruffled her hair a bit before pulling my bag over my shoulder.

"Well, it's about that time. To school we go, I guess." The three of us stepped out into the cool morning air, Nanako in front. I adjusted my beanie, and shook my head. _'The nerves cannot return now. I won't let them.'_

* * *

**Longest chapter I've written yet. Hope you all enjoy it. I'm going to attempt to update weekly from here on out, but I can't promise anything. **

**As always, reviews/follows/favorites fuel my desire to write. Help a guy out!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'd like to thank those of you that reviewed/favorited/followed this story. As always, any constructive criticism on how I can make any writing better is appreciated, but all flames will be ignored.**

**And now, on with the show!**

* * *

Yu and I walked into the front hall of Yasogami High, and changed our shoes at the lockers. There was a crowd of people in front of a bulletin board, and Yu nudged my shoulder. "That's gotta be our class assignments. Let's go see where we're gonna spend our lives for the next year." He started walking towards it. I just sighed and adjusted my bag.

As we got closer to bulletin board, we heard a select group of people groaning and complaining about someone named "King Moron" and "Morooka". It didn't take a rocket science to figure out that they were the same person. After fighting through the crowd for a minute or two, Yu and I discovered that we'd be in class 2-2 together…and the homeroom teacher was none other than "King Moron." I sighed as I fought my way back out of the crowd, and started for the stairs. Not seeing Yu, I shouted out for him. "Yu, you comin' or not!?" I'd like to find a seat, or something before all the good window spots are gone!" He dismissed me with a wave of his hand from inside the crowd, and I moved on without him.

I stopped seeing the 2-2 sign. I took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out before entering and looking around the classroom. Seeing everyone drop what he or she was doing to stare at me was getting to be quite annoying. I just shook my head and continued scanning the room for seating. Seeing as all the window spots were taken, I just dropped my things on a desk behind one that was covered by a red cardigan. As soon as I did so, Yu and one of the most disgusting men I'd ever seen walked in together. Everyone scrambled to their seats, while the man looked dead at me and gestured me to come forward. I stood next to Yu, and pointed to my desk. With a few taps and swipes, I had my phone set to record video of the introductions that were about to happen. Yu passed me a questioning glance. I whispered to him. "Gut feeling. Something's about to go down, and I want a recording of it." He nodded, and then it began.

"Alright, you brats. My name is Kinshiro Morooka, and I'll be your homeroom teacher from this day forward!" Grumbling erupted from the students as Yu and I continued to stand in the front of the room. I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. "Alright you brats, we have two new students joining us this year. The first one is from a big city here in Japan. And you better not try getting cozy with any of the girls here, because they sure won't date big city losers like you! Now introduce yourself to the class." I felt my left eyebrow twitch. It was this exact reason I set my phone to record. I looked over at Yu and stifled a chuckle, settling for a large grin instead. His face was red, and steam was shooting out of his ears. "My name is Yu Narukami. And are you calling me a loser, Morooka-san?" He was cool as ice asking that question, and Morooka just looked at him with rage on his face.

"That's it, you're on my shitlist effective immediately! Take your seat, you brat!" Yu sighed and took his seat, which was conveniently next to mine. "We also have one other transfer student, and he's all the way from New Jersey, which is in the United States of America." He turned to look at me. I had gotten off the wall, and stood next to him. His stench was overbearing, and it was taking everything I had to not vomit on the floor. "Introduce yourself, and don't try anything funny with the girls here either. People like you are a bad influence on them." I snorted. Oh, it was on now.

"My name's Brian Walker. A pleasure." I turned to Morooka. "As for you, you hunchbacked, buck-toothed, mouth-breathing plebian, learn to keep your mouth shut if you don't have anything decent to say. These students have a nickname for you just because you're that much of a jerk, and even though it's only my second day here in Japan, I can already tell you're the lowest of the low. Do your job properly, and don't insult me again, and I'll forget this little incident ever happened. We clear?" I gave him a smirk. I stood well over him and he looked up at me, fuming. I walked over to my seat and plopped down. The girl in the red cardigan, a girl in a green track jacket and Yu were all looking at me, as well as the rest of the classroom. I shrugged. "What? He can give it but he can't take it? Nothin' more than a bully, and for the record, I hate bullies." I gave Yu a fist bump, and stared forward. From the corner of my eye, I noticed both girls in front of us looking at me with stars in their eyes. I muttered in English. _(Motherfucker…drew attention to myself already.)_

"What was that, Walker? Grab your things, and leave. You're dismissed for the day. You're on my shitlist indefinitely, and I expect to see you here an hour before class to scrub this classroom down with your toothbrush!" I shrugged. Morooka's face was flushed the color of a habanero pepper, and I figured now was as good a time as any to leave. I nodded to Yu, and left the building.

* * *

I entered the residential district and heard a bunch of gossip coming from the local housewives. Then they all pointed up, and my vision went with their fingers. I gasped at seeing a body being hung upside down. _(Fuck this shit, I am _outta here_.)_ I began sprinting in the direction opposite of the way I walked to school this morning, hoping I made it home. It was a bad idea to have strayed as far from the beaten path as I had with the idea of exploring Inaba.

Somehow, I ended up back at the Samegawa Flood Plain where I saw a camera crew separating from a distressed looking girl. I decided not to care. It wasn't my business after all! Soon enough, as I was reaching the end of the Flood Plain, the camera crew approached me. "Excuse me sir," the person holding the microphone asked me. "May I ask you a few questions that'll air on television?"

I stared at the three of them incredulously. They wanted to interview me for television? Then I realized what happened just an hour ago. _'I _might_ wanna keep a low profile after this morning. I'll play it cool.'_ "My answer entirely depends on the type of questions you'll be asking me…" I kind of brushed them off, and I wished I would've noticed them turn the camera on.

"Well, do you know who Mayumi Yamano is…I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"Brian Walker." I replied back coolly. "And for your information, I have no idea who she is. I'm a transfer student here from America."

"Alright, well, are you aware that she was found dead and hanging from a telephone pole in the residential district about an hour ago?" The man had an eerie look in his eye, and I found myself offended.

"Are you being for real right now? Are you making light of someone's death just for a TV spot? Yeah, I am aware that there was a dead body hanging from a telephone pole in the residential district earlier, but number one, it wasn't any of my damn business, and number two, it isn't any of your FUCKIN' business! If that's what you came to ask me, get the hell outta here! I don't want to be on your stupid news program." I pushed the man out of my way, and started walking home. I adjusted my beanie and my bag and started walking home.

* * *

As the four of us were sitting around the kotatsu enjoying bowls of instant ramen, Dojima turned the news on, and all of our necks craned to see what was being featured. Someone was being interviewed, but their entire head was blurred out and the voice was changed for protection reasons. "-and hanging from a telephone pole in the residential district about an hour ago?"

_(They didn't…) _I sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"Are you being for real right now? Are you making light of someone's death just for a TV spot? Yeah, I am aware that there was a dead body hanging from a telephone pole in the residential district earlier, but number one, it wasn't any of my damn business, and number two, it isn't any of your ***BEEP*** business! If that's what you came to ask me, get the hell outta here! I don't want to be on your stupid news program." The offender then pushed the camera away as the screen faded out back to the newsroom. I took my hat off and pushed my bowl to the center of the table's surface, taking this opportunity to excuse myself. I made my way up the stairs and closed the door, stripping down to my boxers and folding my uniform up for tomorrow. I shut the lights off and attempted to drift off to sleep when I heard something that made me want to jump out of the window. Feet were rushing up the stairs and the door swung open and then closed within a split second. Yu was breathing hard.

"Brian, they caught you on tape in the classroom. You weren't the only one with a phone that can do it. They somehow got it on the news, and Dojima-san is pissed. Get dressed and get downstairs or he's gonna blow a gasket." I calmly got out of bed, and got dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a long sleeved thermal shirt. I grabbed my phone and stuffed it in my pocket as I walked down the stairs, and took one look at Dojima before sighing.

"Before you read me the riot act, Dojima-oji, can I just ask that we take this outside? I don't want Nanako-chan hearing this and thinking we're arguing," I whispered to him, hoping he'd agree. He had a very stern look on his face and his arms were crossed over his chest. He just nodded and we walked out the front door.

"What were you thinking, Brian? Making a spectacle of yourself on your first day in your new school? Come on, everyone told me you'd been making progress, son… You just can't do things like that around here." He was exasperated.

"Dojima-oji, I'd like to explain a few things to you that might explain my actions." He nodded and motioned for me to go on. "I don't know how to put this, but I have a sort of…danger sense, if you will. I get a really bad feeling in my left hip when something bad is about to happen." I stripped my shirt off and stuck it in my shorts for safekeeping. Dojima's eyes widened considerably. I ran my fingers over the jagged scar that ran from just up and left of my belly button to my hip. "This is where it originated. Six months before I came here, I was stabbed by a bunch of kids that hated me. Still don't know why. That was the straw the broke the camel's back, and why I'm here. I digress. What did the video show on the news?" I inquired, knowing the whole story wasn't there if he was trying to reprimand me for my actions.

"It showed you mouthing off to your new homeroom teacher after giving your name." He saw my look and sighed. "I'm guessing you're about to tell me that that wasn't the whole story, and your 'danger sense' went off in class, right?" He looked at me knowingly.

"You're good, Dojima-oji. You should be a detective or something." At that, he snorted in laughter. "You're right, though. My sense went off, and I set my phone to record the whole thing." I pulled my phone out of my shorts and swiped and tapped at it until the video was up. I pressed play and scrubbed through it until it came to the introductions. "Here you go, Dojima-oji. See for yourself what a scumbag this guy is."

After it was done, Dojima was growling at the phone before he passed it back to me. "You're right, Brian. This Morooka is an asshole, but that doesn't excuse your actions. You should've taken the higher road and ignored him!"

"Ryotaro, if I had done that, I'd be putting myself in the same position I was in back in the 'States! I made myself a promise that I was only looking out for people that looked out for me, and myself. That list is fairly short, and it seems as though you've just gotten crossed off." I stared him down before he punched me square in the jaw. I stumbled back, not expecting it before I grabbed him by his shoulders and drove my knee into his midsection taking the air out of his lungs. "Scratch that, you've definitely gotten taken off." I took off in a random direction, not paying attention to where I was going. As I was running, I put my shirt back on only to smack into something hard with my face. I sat up from my spot on the ground and groaned, pulling my shirt over my face.

"You…you're one of the two kinds on the news today…they're coming for you…I have to save you!" My vision went blurry, and I smelt some sort of chemical.

_(The fuck man…from bad to worse…)_

* * *

When I woke up, the cold sweat was pouring off of me. I noticed it was slightly chilly, and I looked around. I tried to move, but I couldn't. I felt a searing pain in my shoulders, and managed to look up at the ceiling. Everything was so foggy that I couldn't really see any details. I screamed out in pain, noticing that my hands were shackled to the ceiling and that I was dangling about 10 feet above the floor below, in the ripped up rags that should've been the clothes I had ran from Dojima in. "Where the hell am I?! Somebody get me out of here!" I kept struggling, thinking that cracking my legs on the floor upon contact would be a better option than my shoulders being separated from their sockets.

"Ah, what a sight for sore eyes you are… You know, today's the day the fog rolls in on your side of the world. I hope you loved your life, because once the sun falls, you're dead." I looked around and found that I was able to twist myself around to see my prison, but was unable to get out of the shackles. I saw someone who looked just like me in my Yasogami High uniform, but had these sickly looking yellow eyes. He was a carbon copy of me…aside from those damn eyes.

"Who the hell are you? Get me down from here!" I was screaming harder than I ever had before and I could feel my throat burning raw. When I took a breath in, I heard something that wasn't coming from my look-a-like.

"Yosuke, he's in here! Hurry, we don't have much time! That was Yu. It was at that moment I felt my left shoulder pop out of its socket, hearing the sounds of the separation I cried out in pain, and felt a few tears burning on my cheek. I yelled out for Yu.

"Let's go partner, you and me, on three! Ready? One…two…three!" And with their battle cry, they busted down the door. "Alright…well, where is he?" After a few seconds, I hollered out in pain again and my right shoulder popped out of its socket. I was now just dangling in the air, in more pain than I had ever been in before. They both looked up.

"Brian, just hang on, we're gonna get you down!" Yu yelled up to me, and I could do more than nod.

"You know, I don't know why you two are helping me. I'm just an outsider with a fake tough guy mask to protect myself from being bullied again. I'm pathetic human being imprisoned by my own fears!" Even with the pain radiating from my upper body, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This imposter just revealed the secret I was planning on keeping from everyone outside of Dojima's household.

"Wh-who are you?" I could do almost nothing more than groan in pain at this point.

"I'm you, don't you get it? I know every deep, dark secret you've ever kept!" He shouted right back at me, somehow reaching my level. Never being one to make a smart decision, I spit in his face. My doppelganger then proceeded to unlock one of my arms from the pair of shackles, leaving me dangling from my left wrist. The pain increased twofold now that the dead weight of my hanging, useless right arm was floating, lifelessly parallel to my body.

I groaned in pain before giving him the best devilish grin I could and said: "You can go fuck yourself. You're not me, and you never will be." And at that, his grin matched mine, and I felt my breath leave me as my eyes closed.

* * *

When I woke up, the pain in my arms was gone. I stood up and moved them both, rotated them, threw punches, and did whatever I could to make them hurt again, but it was like my shoulders had never been separated! I looked at Yu and his friend who looked like death rolled over, rolled over. I noticed that behind them, my doppelganger, who looked like he had never seen a fight in his life was approaching them from behind. "That is _enough_! Leave them alone already… I get it. You're the manifestation of me that holds all of the stuff I try to hide from other people. Whether I like it or not, you are a part of me, and I have to deal with that."

With that, my doppelganger burst into a pillar of light before turning into a humanoid that wore dark clothing and held a long chokuto. His name somehow flowed from my mouth as if I had said it before. "Leo." With that, he disappeared, and I fell to my knees, my shredded shirt falling behind me. Yu and his friend put each of my arms around their shoulders and lifted me up. "Thanks guys…"

His friend piped up. "Don't mention it. Name's Yosuke Hanamura, by the way." I nodded.

"Brian Walker. Pleasure." He nodded at me and then Yu spoke.

"Brian, what… What the hell is this?" He was pointing at my scar. I slapped my palm to my forehead and groaned.

"I'll tell you the exact same thing I told Dojima-oji. This scar is the straw that broke the camel's back, and why I'm here now. Some kids got a real funny idea that it'd be cool to stab me. On the plus side, I now have a built-in danger sense and a cool scar to endear me to the ladies. Now that that's over, where are we, how long was I here, and can we please leave? I don't like it here." Yu look at me in exasperation.

"In order, we're inside the TV at Junes, you've been in here for 48 hours, and we're on our way out. So relax."

"Thanks, oh wise bowl-cut-san." He gave me a deadpan look as we got pushed through a small television and ended up on the floor of an electronics department. "I'll cut you some slack on the TV thing since we obviously just popped out of one, but what the hell is a Junes, and what was that bear? The TV from behind them rippled and a static-filled voice came out of it.

"I'm Teddie and I led Yosuke and Sensei to you!" He sounded cheerful, but I just wasn't in the mood.

"Well that's just fantastic." I looked at the two of them. Can we go home, Yu? I need 3 aspirin and a good night's sleep without my arms shackled to the ceiling." I moved my arms for emphasis, and we split up, promising to see each other in the morning.

* * *

**And that'll do it for this chapter of Flight Risk. Yes, I'm still keeping Thanatos as my OC's Persona, but he'll be the ultimate version. Leo is essentially Thanatos without the cape made of coffins. He WILL have the Wild Card ability, but he'll rarely use it.**

**As for the time skip, there was 48 hours passed. Its fan fiction, and I'm allowed to say that Yu fought both Yosuke's shadow and my OC's with Yosuke tagging along.**

**As always, reviews are favorable, they help me find the drive to write.**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, for some very odd reason, hasn't been using my line breaks in the first two chapters. I don't know why. But if it seems like you missed a huge chunk of information between when a paragraph ends and a new one begins, imagine a line split being there, if you can. The third chapter's splits are there, so it shouldn't be an issue any more, but regardless. You get what I mean.**

**Just as a side note, I appreciate the reviews I've gotten. If it seems like I'm rushing things, I apologize. I'm trying to keep everything interesting, and if I don't find a part interesting, I may just kind of gloss over them, because chances are if I write about a part that doesn't interest me, it will be hard to write it so that its interesting to the reader.**

**EDIT: I've received a review stating that Brian is becoming a bit of a Gary Stu - I can see it, and I can't see it. I've tried to tone it back a bit with the martial arts proficiency stuff, but I've made the decision to keep his attitude the same. This story is still early. And on that note, after watching P4: The Animation, aside from the deadpan, I'd still like to think my character has a bit more emotion outside of the TV world than Yu does. *shrugs***

**Anyhow, on with the story.**

* * *

Returning home to Dojima's place that night after 48 hours of being declared missing wasn't easy. The interrogation was the worst part. Not only was Dojima a detective trained in interrogation techniques, I'm not a very good liar, and I get guilty easy. Suffice it to say, even though I didn't remember much, I had him take me down to the station where I'd explain everything, and hope to get home early enough to get some decent sleep before facing school in the morning.

"Alright Brian, tell me everything you know about your disappearance." Dojima looked at me with that same stern gaze before he damn near knocked me out two nights ago.

"Dojima-san," He gasped at my changing of the honorific. I was still upset with him, after all. "Before I explain to you what I remember, I need you to promise me that you'll believe everything I say. Hell, you can record it if you'd like, that's why I had you bring me down to the station." I pleaded.

He sighed. "You better be telling me the truth, Brian."

"I swear on my own life, Dojima-san." He nodded for me to proceed. "After our altercation, I ran off in a random direction. I ended up in the residential district, nowhere near the Yamano woman's crime scene as far as I know. Next thing I know, I ran into something big and black. When I got up and apologized, I smelled a chemical. When I woke up, my wrists were bound in shackles and I was dangling from the ceiling. I have no recollection of how I got there, or what the man who put me there looked like. Anyhow, someone showed up in that room, and he looked exactly like I did when I was wearing my school uniform. He was an exact copy, Dojima-san. The only difference was his eyes. They were these sickly yellow color. By the time I had started conversing with him, my left shoulder separated. My replica unhooked my left wrist from its shackle leaving my dangling by my right wrist, and that shoulder separated shortly after that. But before my right shoulder separated, Yu and his friend Yosuke showed up. They told me that they'd get me down from where I was, and that's all I made out before I passed out from the pain." I sighed. "Are you still with me Dojima-san?" He looked bewildered, but motioned for me to continue. "When I woke up, my arms were as good as new, like nothing had ever happened to them. Yu and Yosuke looked like they had gotten into a really bad fight. My doppelganger was still there, and it was Yu who told me that my double wasn't really a double at all. It was a part of me, my repressed emotions. We were in a television world. There was this mascot. A blue, red, and yellow bear that shoved the three of us into a really small television, and we came out of a huge one in the Junes electronics department. I guess that makes sense because the big, black object I bumped into somewhat resembled a TV set." I hesitated for a moment. "There was one other thing, Dojima-san. My double transformed. It like, exploded into a beam of light and then turned into me if I were twice my size wearing a full body suit and mask with shiny white and gold, mechanical legs from just below the kneecap. It was holding a chokuto, too. They called them Personas. I'm still not sure what to make of it, and I think I may be dreaming." I sniffled suddenly and noticed tears staining the table that I was sitting at. I looked at Dojima. "Dojima-oji, I'm sorry for two days ago, and I swear I'm not lying to you." He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me in a hug.

After about 5 minutes, he released me and held me at an arm's distance. "I believe you, son. As crazy as it seems, you must be telling the truth. You gave off no tells whatsoever during your story, so I'm going to take a chance and believe you on this."

I looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, Dojima-oji. I just have one request. Please don't question Yu or Yosuke about this. I'll be your liaison or whatever if you have any questions about anything, just please. He had nothing to do with me getting kidnapped." He sighed and nodded his head. Then, I doubled over in pain, both hands shooting to my left hip.

"Brian, what's the matter? Are you alright?"

I nodded to him. "My danger sense is going off really bad. It went off like this earlier when I saw Yamano's body, too. Don't quote me on this, but the pain is very similar… I think my kidnapping and Yamano's murder are connected somehow." I spoke through groans before the pain subsided.

"Alright, son. I think its time we headed home. No doubt Yu and Nanako-chan are worried sick." We both looked at the clock and realized it was 11:30 P.M. All things considered, it wasn't terribly late. "Oh, and Brian. Consider yourself my field assistant. Offer Yu your help with whatever he does in this, and I'll provide funds when I can."

"Yes sir!" I mock saluted him and we shared a short laugh as we walked through the rain and into the parking lot.

* * *

I headed up the stairs after popping three aspirin in my mouth, and swallowed them after I opened the door to my room. Yu was looking out the blinds. I sat down on the futon. "Thanks again for earlier." Yu looked at me.

"No problem. What did Dojima-san take you down to the station for?" He had a look of urgency on his face as he kept glancing over at the clock.

"He scolded me for retaliating against him when he punched me in the mouth two nights ago, and wanted to know where I was. I told him that you found me asleep in an alley in the outskirts of the residential district."

"Good, we don't need him knowing about what happened today. We'd end up getting-" He stopped talking and motioned me to watch the TV. There was a considerable amount of static, but I still made out who was on the screen just fine. Yu's phone rang and he answered it. When he hung up, I grunted and got up. "You saw that too, right? I'm not the only one?"

"Yeah I saw it, and I was about to ask you if you'd mind being our leader. Your Persona scares all of mine, and Yosuke's Persona too. You're worldlier, and have a higher tolerance for pain than I do. Once we get you acclimated to the environment, you'd be perfect." I nodded dumbly.

"Yeah, I'll do it. But Yu, do you know who that was on the TV tonight?" I asked him, hoping he saw it too.

"I know that it was a girl, but I couldn't really see anything else. It was too blurry for me." He was shaking his head and sounded downcast.

"Yu, that girl who sits in front of us. The one with the red sweater-"

"You mean Yukiko. What does she have to do with anything?" He interrupted me with that nugget of information, a deep red blush on his face.

"Sure, your girlfriend." He sputtered, and tried to deny it. "Well, whatever the case may be, that was her on the screen. I saw it clear as day. I never forget a face. We need to warn her to stay with one of her parents or us. She shouldn't be alone, or she'll get…thrown into the TV, right?" I looked at Yu, he was confused.

"How'd you see her, anyhow? And you're right, she shouldn't be alone."

"I don't know, Yu. But I'm telling you, that's her. Now's not the time, we should get some shuteye. I'm exhausted." I laid back on my futon and closed my eyes.

* * *

I felt a weight in my lap, and a shock of red hair done up in two large pigtails appeared in my immediate line of sight. When I looked down slightly, I saw the most beautiful woman ever. Big, expressive brown eyes, a button sized nose, and full pink lips stretched into the most genuine smile. Not to mention a killer body! I felt a bit of wetness on my cheek, and after coming back down to earth, I realized this girl kissed my cheek. "Hey there, Leader-kun!" Her voice was adorable too! I just about melted in my chair.

And as I was about to reply, everything faded to black. The girl who was sitting on my lap was fading, and she was screaming for me. "Help me, Brian! DON'T LET THEM GET ME!"

* * *

I woke up in a cold sweat, and looked at the clock. _'Eh, one minute before my alarm was supposed to go off. What's it matter?'_ I turned my alarm off before it could go off, gathered my school clothes, and made for the shower. After drying my hair off and putting my hat and glasses on, I walked back into the room, and nodded at Yu. We headed out the front door after eating breakfast.

When we reached the Samegawa Flood Plain, Nanako said goodbye and turned to leave. "Go on ahead, Yu. I just need to tell Nanako-chan something." He gave me a look that said 'you better not hurt her or else,' and I told him to relax. I jogged back and caught up to Nanako. I tapped her shoulder and she jumped back in surprise. "Relax Nanako-chan. I just wanted to tell you that I have a surprise for you tonight, ok?"

"*Gasp* You do?" I nodded to her. She ran over to me with the force of a water buffalo and hugged me, thanking me over and over, asking what it was.

"Just don't worry about dinner tonight, alright?" I ruffled her hair and chuckled when she got mad. I knelt down and kissed her forehead before running back towards Yasogami High, waving goodbye to her while I was still in sight.

* * *

I made it to the front gate just as Yu and his new friends were moving inside the school. I ran another few feet and caught up to them. I was huffing and puffing pretty loud, and Yosuke turned around to call me out on it. "Dude, wake up late or something?"

"Nah, just had to tell Nanako-chan I had a surprise for her tonight." I stood up straight after finally catching my breath, and Yosuke looked up, eyes widened to comical proportions.

"Dude, you are freaking huge!" I just grinned at him. Maybe things would be different here now that they'd seen everything about me. After all, here they were, joking with me. "And who's Nanako-chan, your girlfriend? Dude, it's been all of like, 5 days that you've been here and you already scored?" I felt my left eyebrow twitch.

"Nanako-chan is Dojima-oji's daughter, and in the first grade you pervert!" I slapped him upside the head. Maybe Yosuke would do me some good after all.

"Ahem!" Yu, Yosuke, and I looked at the source of the cleared throat, and it was the girl who wore the green track jacket sitting in front of me. "Are you forgetting about someone, Brian-kun?" She looked pissed off.

"Ahh, gomen… I don't think we've properly been introduced, yet. You know my name but I don't know yours." I scratched my left forearm with my right hand, a sort of nervous tic I developed over the years.

"My name's Chie Satonaka. Nice to meet you Brian-kun." She offered her hand to me, and I accepted it, shaking her's with a strong grip. She grinned at me, and I grinned back. "We're meeting at the food court at Junes later. You wanna join us?" I smiled at the offer.

"Does this Junes have a grocery department? I need some things for later. Yu, I'm gonna cook dinner tonight, I already discussed it with Dojima-oji last night. He said he was gonna be working late tonight, and I'm pretty good cook if I do say so myself." I pounded my chest, and the warning bell rang. _(Way to take the wind out of my sails, you damn school bell.)_ As we were walking to our class, I had to scratch my curiosity. "Do you guys know who a girl by the name, uh, Ree-say is?"

"You mean Risette?" Yosuke chirped. I slapped my palm to my forehead.

* * *

We were all sitting around at our desks, and Yosuke was still yammering on about how great this Risette girl was by lunch break. Apparently she was an idol, and very famous for having an amazing voice, and being gorgeous. I shrugged it off and looked over at Yu and Chie. "So Yu," I gave him a smirk, "Where's your girlfriend at?" Yu sputtered and blushed, and Chie just looked at me. I mouthed the word 'Yukiko' to her, and she gaped.

"I KNEW IT!" She shrieked and pointed at Yu. Everyone became silent and looked at us. "Ehehehe, its nothing guys… Carry on with what you were doing!" Everyone did just that as the chatter started up again. I adjusted my hat and cleaned off my glasses. Chie repeated herself, albeit much softer this time. "I knew you had a crush on her from the moment you laid eyes on her, Yu-kun. Everyone does, she's never had a boyfriend yet, but I think she thinks you're pretty cute too." Yu just smashed his head against his desk and mumbled.

"Listen, when we get to Junes, I need to tell you all something, in regards to the _television_." I looked around a bit paranoid, hoping no one had heard me. The three of them nodded, and we all sat back down as the bell to begin the second half of classes rang.

* * *

I gnawed at my steak with reckless abandon and rubbed my jaw as I swallowed. I looked down at my tray to see only half of my steak gone. "I don't know how the hell you guys eat that. It's so tough and doesn't go down that smooth at all!" Chie smacked me upside the head, and the other two just shrugged and kept eating. I folded my hands together and rested my chin on the makeshift platform. "Well, in regards to the Inaba Investigation Team, Yu asked me to be the leader last night, and I accepted." I had my table's rapt attention. "I just want to say two things. Number one; I'm generally an easy going guy, but please, if I give an order, follow it to the letter." They nodded. "And number two, I know Yu saw it as he was with me last night, and Yosuke called him so that means he saw it, but Chie, did you see what was on the TV last night?" She nodded.

"I did, but I could only make out that it was a female," Chie said sullenly.

"And you, Yosuke?" I turned my stare to him.

"I saw it, but I'm the same as Chie. I only saw a generic female." He scratched the back of his head.

I motioned for a huddle. "The girl on the Midnight Channel last night was Yukiko." Chie gasped and brought her hand to her mouth, her body beginning to shake. "Yosuke, if you would please," Yosuke put an arm around Chie all while giving me a pissed look, as if I had caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. _'Blackmail material for days!'_ I schooled my expression and looked at my watch. We had more than enough time before I had to cook dinner. I looked at my team. "Get whatever you need for a trip into the TV world, and meet me right here in 30 minutes." They saluted, I couldn't tell if they were joking or not, and scrambled. Meanwhile, I stayed at my seat for minutes thinking about what we were about to do.

After a minute or two, I pushed out of my seat and caught an elevator going down. I exited Junes and took the short walk into the shopping district. I head directly for the Daidara Metalworks store, hoping they had something I could use for protection inside the TV. The gruff man took one look up at me, and grunted. "Welcome to my store, kiddo. Anything you're looking for in particular?" I shook my head.

"I'll be getting something, but I don't know what yet. I need something sharp, and light… Easy to handle." I was browsing when the man grabbed my wrists, and using the pad of his thumbs, rubbed both of my palms.

"Right-handed, hmm…" He grunted a few more times, and gave me something to squeeze on for 30 seconds.

"Here's fifty thousand ryo. Gimmie the best you got and do what needs to be done…" I looked at my watch. "In twenty-five minutes?" I asked him.

"Done deal, kiddo."

Twenty-five minutes later, and the man came back out with something so sleek I thought I'd cut my hand just breathing near it. He set a silk cloth on the table before placing the three parts on top of it. "Here's how this works. I had you make a mold for your own custom hilt earlier. The hilt, the latch and the blade are what you've got here. The hilt can be attached to the blade in either direction, for a standard or reverse grip. You place the latch where the blade and hilt come together, and squeeze it closed. Voila!" I attached the scabbard to my hip and paid Daidara, thanking him for his work.

* * *

I jogged back to Junes, catching an elevator to the food court, and strolled to my table. I was still 4 minutes early. So I took the scabbard off my back, and unsheathed the sword. I unhinged the latch, and squeezed it back on with a reverse grip, before re-sheathing the sword and reattaching it to my hip. Just as I finished, the other three showed up. Yu tossed me a pair of glasses, and I noticed that both Yosuke and him were wearing them. I looked at them. They were basically my glasses but in green. I put them on, and they even had my prescription in the lenses. I looked over at Yu and before I could ask, he answered my question.

"Don't ask. Even I'm not sure how Teddie got your prescription, but if they work don't question it." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Chie, we'll talk to Teddie and see if he can have a pair for you soon."

"Good, because I'm not allowing Yukiko to be taken in and killed by anything in there!" She pumped her fist and everyone was staring at our table. "Ehehehe… I did it again, huh?"

"Yep." I answered. "Keep it quiet, and move to the electronic department. One body at a time, I want you to dive into the TV. Others keep lookout, I'll be the last one in. Move." And I looked dead at Chie before saying, "And I stress, _keep it quiet."_ Chie had the decency to blush before we headed to the electronics department.

When we made it to the TV we needed to dive into, Yosuke immediately started explaining why this TV was so good for its price, and other salesman shticks. I nodded to him and grinned. Yu was the first one in, followed by Chie. Yosuke looked around, and I gave him a thumb's up before he jumped in feet first. I looked around for a split second before diving in with my hands stretched out in front of me. It felt like I was diving into a pool of really cool gelatin. After a little while of falling, I saw a target approaching, and rolled as soon as I hit the ground. Chie was clapping at my entrance, while the other two sweat dropped.

"Did you need to make such a grand entrance?" Yosuke asked, exasperated.

"I fail to see how it was grand. It was quick, and safe, and I wasn't spotted by anyone in the store." I shrugged it off. "So, now that we're in here, where's Teddie at? Isn't he supposed to be around here?" Big mistake.

Something fuzzy touched my shoulder and neck, and I jumped about ten feet in the air. Then the cheeriest voice ever reverberated through the main staging area. "Hiya, guys!" I shuddered, knowing I'd just have to deal with it.

"Hey Teddie," We all replied back to him. I ruffled the top of his hair and thanked him for the glasses.

"Don't mention it, Brian." He smiled at me, and a chill ran up my spine. A sentient mascot costume was rather freaky.

"Anyhow, can we get Chie a pair of glasses? I have a feeling something big is about to happen, and since she doesn't have them, I'd like her to." I looked over to Chie who was sitting down rubbing her eyes at the fog.

"No problem, Brian! I can have them ready for her by the next time you come in here," Teddie said.

"Great." I looked at my rag tag team of friends and drew my weapon. "Alright, what're you three working with?" Yu held out a two-handed longsword. "Ok, so Yu is overcompensating." He face faulted. "Yosuke?" He took out a pair of kunai and flipped them around with mild proficiency. "Don't cut yourself." Yosuke face faulted as well. "Chie?" She threw a few kicks and ended with a 540-degree turn flourish kick. "Impressive, but impractical." Finally, Chie fell to the floor. I laughed. "I'm just kidding, you guys. Yu, Yosuke, just please be careful with your weapons? I'm betting you don't have any practice with them outside of application in here?" They nodded, but Yosuke spoke up, indignantly.

"But what about you, Brian? You have a sword attached to your hip, and you're our age…!" During his ranting, I unsheathed my sword, threw it into the air, let it spin for a little while, and caught it. It was completely unnecessary, and I'd never do that in a real fight here, but it got my point across.

"Eight years of martial arts training. I'm proficient with a chokuto, Yosuke. When you're as alone as I was back in the 'States, you tend to have a _lot_ of free time." Their jaws hit the floor. "Alright, here's how its going to go. We're sparring. Chie and I are going to pair up, and Yu and Yosuke are going to pair up. No lethal strikes from you two!" They nodded, and moved over to their own little area of the studio. I looked at Chie and set down my sword. "You don't have a weapon, so we'll be sparring hand to hand. Can you go full contact?" I asked her. I was a little apprehensive about hitting a girl. She looked offended.

"_What?! _Of course I can go full contact!" Chie screamed and she jumped up and threw an axe kick at me, which I blocked with my left forearm. I had to avert my eyes to avoid looking up her skirt after seeing that she was only wearing a rather skimpy pair of panties. I threw her away and dashed in close, sweeping her legs out from under her. I held her in a side key-lock, and whispered to her.

"Hey, Chie. Next time we come into the TV, wear a pair of bike shorts or something, would you? When you threw that axe kick, I could see _everything._" I watched as her face flushed with rage and she attempted to punch me in the side of the head, but I put more pressure on the keylock and looked at her. "I'm not a pervert, Chie, merely observant. When I blocked, that area was in my direct line of sight. And I have you right where I want you in a fight, so if you want to try this again, I'll let go, but if you try to really hurt me for 'peeping,' I'll break your arm right now." Chie gulped and shook her head. I let her go, and she shook her arm out.

We spread back out, and bumped fists before starting again. A fury of fists and kicks came my way, but I was able to dodge most of them. Chie was really good. All I needed was one opening. After ducking a crescent kick, I spun around and snapped off a back fist with my right hand that gave off a loud 'smack' before throwing a right roundhouse kick that I stopped just at her ear. "Do you concede?" I asked her as I looked at her left cheek, which was starting to swell. Chie exhaled and nodded her head. "Those moves were all from kung-fu movies. Please tell me you're not just copying moves you see in the films without understanding how to properly perform them?" She had the decency to blush and look away. I sighed. "Go have a seat, Chie. We're gonna need to talk about this later." I looked over at Yu and Yosuke. Yu had his sword at Yosuke's neck, and the latter was conceding the match.

I clapped once. "Alright you two! Loser of the match, sit down by Chie." Yosuke sat down by her. Chie saw he was bleeding from his hand and gasped, pointing it out to him. To his credit, Yosuke just took his shirt off and wrapped it around his hand without a sound. It wasn't a deep cut, just a slash. "Yu, no deathblows, same as before. Ready?" He nodded, and I attached my sword to my hip, drawing it. Yu's eyes widened. Before he knew it, I had knocked his sword out of his hands, and had my blade at his throat. "Lesson one, Yu. Never lose focus of the task at hand, for any reason." I sheathed my blade. "Let's go back." We left through the smaller TV after telling Teddie we'd be back soon.

"Yosuke, your hand will be fine, right? Chie, I need you to check on Yukiko and make sure she's ok. Yu, you can go home, just need to grab a few things for tonight, I'll be home in…25 minutes?"

"Yes sir!" They chorused, and mock saluted me.

"At ease." I stuck my tongue out, and we all said our goodbyes.

* * *

I walked into the Dojima household with 2 bags in my hand. I set the bag with the food down, and walked upstairs, dropping my chokuto and the second bag on my futon before heading back to the kitchen. I looked at the clock. It read 6:25 PM. I yelled out to Nanako who was in the living room watching television. "Nanako-chan, I'll have dinner ready in 20 minutes! Sorry to have kept you waiting, had some homework to take care of. I think you'll enjoy this."

"Mmk, Brian-kun. I can't wait!" She sounded happy, but at the same time depressed.

_(Bet that's because Uncle Dojima isn't here right now.)_ I continued chopping up the chicken, keeping focus on the knife, so I didn't chop my hand off.

**25 minutes later**

I set the plates around the kotatsu, and brought over the bowl of sauced chicken and the rice cooker. I placed a small pile of rice on all four plates and then placed some chicken onto them, drizzling some extra sauce on each. I took the fourth plate and covered it with plastic wrap. I put a sticky note on it with reheating instructions, and placed the plate in the fridge for Dojima to eat later. Walking back to the kotatsu, I told the two of them what the food was called. "Nanako-chan, Yu, this is called General's Chicken. Its an Americanized Chinese dish that's very popular where I'm from. I hope you enjoy it." We all cracked our pairs of chopsticks before saying a quick prayer and digging in

"Itadakimasu!"

* * *

I sat on the couch, polishing my sword. When I could clearly see my reflection, I sheathed it, and put it on my nightstand. Yu walked back into the room in only a towel. He looked outside. "It's raining."

"Clearly," He replied, not amused by my attempt at sarcasm.

"Yu, I need you to relax. Even if Yukiko does show up on the Midnight Channel, we're well equipped to handle it. You and Yosuke saved my ass, so with the four of us, there shouldn't be any problem rescuing Yukiko. Just let things play out. We have no idea who's behind any of this, so we need to let the culprit make their move first. Then we'll catch them with the smoking gun." I responded coolly.

The clock hit midnight, and the TV flared up in static before showing a clear picture. It was Yukiko in a fancy ball gown. She said she was looking for her prince, and that she was stacked in her lacy unmentionables from head to toe. She ran into a castle. It was at that point that Yu passed out with a nosebleed, so I cleaned him up and put him to bed before laying down myself.

* * *

**Just a couple of words here; I realize that Yu may seem out of character. Those are my intentions. I've shifted the focus onto my OC, so he will be the levelheaded leader of the bunch. Meanwhile, I've always believed that there was no way Yu couldn't be a pervert with all of the girls kinda chasing after him, so I've decided to go with that a bit.**

**As always, reviews are greatly appreciated, as well as favorites and follows.**


	5. Chapter 5

**No intro this time, let's just get into it.**

* * *

I felt an incredibly soft and slightly warm sensation against my lips as I opened my eyes. Everything was blurry as something slimy slipped past them and tangled with my tongue. I tried moving my hands to clear the sleep out of my eyes, but someone grabbed them in transit and placed them on something a bit squishy. When my vision focused, I saw the top part of the face of the same girl from my last few dreams. I squeezed my hands not knowing where they were, and she moaned. I felt the vibrations on my tongue and realized that we were sharing a kiss. I felt my face heat up, and I tried to move my hands, but to no avail. It was like they were sunk into two firm pillows. I felt lightheaded next – I needed air, fast. Apparently, so did this girl, as she pulled away from me, her face as bright as a tomato. She panted a bit before giving me a small smile. "I love you, Brian-koi." Well that was new. In every other dream, she had called me 'Leader-kun' or something similar, and had never once said she loved me. I was finally able to move my hands, and I realized they had been on her behind. I immediately felt hot, and couldn't control the reaction I was having between my legs. She looked at me cock-eyed before putting her head on my shoulder and moaning lowly into my ear. I felt something soak the front of my slacks.

It was then that I heard a clatter, and when I looked up, everything fell into perspective. I ran through a mental checklist: I was in the food court at Junes where we met before going into the TV World. A famous pop idol on hiatus was straddling my lap with her beet red face buried in my chest, presumably embarrassed from having an orgasm all over my pants. Yosuke had seen us making out, and looked incredibly depressed. I was fucked, in both a positive and negative light. I heard Yosuke mutter under his breath, "Lucky bastard scored with Risette…" and I immediately glared at him.

"It has nothing to do with scoring, Yosuke," I spat. The words were flowing, and I felt like I was watching the scene from afar. "Rise and I have a serious connection. Don't know how or why she finds me attractive when she could have anyo- Oof!" I received a fist to my chest, but cleared my throat and continued. "Regardless of my self-image, there's something special about the connection we share, and maybe part of it is not seeing her celebrity status. Don't be so superficial, Yosuke." I kissed the crown of Rise's head and picked her up bridal style. "I'm going to take Rise to the bathroom. We'll be back in 5. Not a word of this to _anyone__**, **_Yosuke." His head looked like it was going to snap off of his neck from nodding so fast.

When I reached the bathrooms, I knocked on one of the family bathroom doors, and hearing no response, set Rise down on her feet and opened the door. I ushered her in and followed quickly. I leaned against the door and closed my eyes. "I'm not gonna watch, Rise-chan. Promise." A few second later, and I asked what was on my mind. "What was all that back there, anyhow?" The tap turned on. I waited patiently.

"Oh, nothing~! You can open your eyes now, Brian-koi." I did as she asked and was greeted with the most beautiful face I'd ever laid eyes on. Rise had sweated her makeup off, and had washed her face clean. "Koi, you're staring." Rise's face was now flushed. I pushed off the door and wrapped my arms around her waist, giving in to my desires and kissing her passionately. Her arms wrapped around my neck and we separated, a thin trail of saliva connecting our tongues.

"You," I said breathlessly, "are the most beautiful girl in the entire world. With or without makeup." After every word I said her blush got deeper. By the end, she was hiding her face in my chest again, and I just grinned and kissed the crown of her head. "Now, if you would, I need to clean up the mess you left on my pants." She smacked my chest and giggled, letting me face the toilet. I ran a hand over the afflicted area and grumbled to myself. "Still damp." I sighed. "S'gonna be cold as shit!" Rise giggled. I bunched up a bunch of toilet paper and held it over my fly, and looked back at her. Her face lit up again, and she giggled before opening her mouth…

* * *

I reached for my alarm and turned it off. I got out of my futon and made to grab my uniform when a breeze hit me, and more directly, my manhood. I shivered and looked down. I rushed to the bathroom with a new pair of boxers and ripped the old ones up. I flushed them down the toilet. _(No need for Nanako to find out about this stuff so early. I can't believe I had a wet dream over some girl I haven't even met yet.)_

Twenty minutes later, I was dressed and ready to go, and we set out for school. When Yu and I reached the gates, we found Chie and Yosuke talking. Yosuke had his hands in his pockets and Chie was blushing. I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to mess with all of them, so I kicked at the dust and acted downcast. Yu started to speak. "Brian, what's the mat-" I deliberately cut him off and spoke loud enough for our group to hear.

"Man, first Yu and Yukiko get together, and now Yosuke and Chie? What's a guy gotta do to get a girlfriend around here?" Yu immediately smacked me upside the head and Yosuke sputtered about how it wasn't like that, leading to Chie kicking him in the shin. I broke out in laughter. "You guys make this too easy for me!" I chuckled some more as our group walked to our classroom. "Meet up at the food court again today guys. I don't know if you saw _it_ last night, but we need to get in there and do our thing."

"Right," Was the group's reply. I gave Chie a pat on the shoulder.

"Its gonna be alright, Chie. Yukiko is going to be just fine." She nodded and wiped her eyes. I gave her a hug, and she smiled at me as we walked into class. _'I don't understand it. Now that no one gives a crap about what I look like, I'm just another teenager to them.'_ A smile spread across my face. _'I need to enjoy my time here while it lasts.'_

* * *

We were all standing at our usual table. Chie was getting antsy, and as I was thinking, she shouted. "Screw this, I'm going after Yukiko!" She ran out of the food court towards the elevator quicker than I could react, and the doors closed as I realized what was about to happen. "Yu, Yosuke, after her! Take the elevator, I'm gonna take the stairs and try to catch up to her!" I moved as quickly as I could, but weaving through tables wasn't easy. I reached the stairwell and took the stairs two at a time. After 3 flights of stairs, my breathing was ragged and my chest was on fire, but I pushed on. The TV was in my sights, and as I sprinted through the aisles, hoping I didn't knock anyone over, I dove for the TV, and landed on my left knee and right fist. Soon after, a tangle of bodies fell right on top of me.

After we all got up and stretched out, I asked them if they had seen Chie. "Nothin', Brian." Yosuke replied. He was still out of breath and gulping for air.

"Damn it all. Where the hell is Teddie for that matter?" I shouted into the studio, hoping he would answer the call.

"I'm right here, guys!" If possible, Teddie was waddling as fast as he could to our position. "You gotta hurry and follow me, Chie-chan made me take her to where Yuki-chan is!" Teddie was absolutely frantic, and I didn't like it.

"Alright you two, ready up! Teddie, lead the way! We've got two to save tonight!"

A chorus of cheers and 10 minutes of running later, we arrived at the castle. "This is where Yukiko and Chie are?" I asked Teddie. He responded by nodded his entire upper half. I spun around to Yu and Yosuke. "Let's go. Our first priority is Chie since she wasn't the one captured and is probably closer than Yukiko. After we get her, someone will take her back, and the other two will rescue Yukiko. Got it? Good." I turned around and sprinted forward into the Castle. Once I heard footsteps beside me, I looked to my sides. Seeing Yu and Yosuke at my sides, we ran into the red and black wall separating the interior of the castle from the rest of the TV world.

We stopped running as we entered the castle, seeing Chie on her hands and knees wasn't a pretty sight. Yu and Yosuke rushed ahead to help her, while I surveyed the area. "Hey, Chie-chan, what are you doing- Oof!" I spun around at Yosuke's voice, and I saw him lying on his behind about 15 feet away from where Chie now held Yu by his throat, while Chie was passed out on the castle's cold, stone floor.

"Wait, two Chies?" I shook my head to clear out the cobwebs only to find that she was looking me dead in the eyes with her sickly yellow irises. It reminded me of what happened to me a week or so ago. "Oh no you don't!" I ran towards her and leapt into the air. "Let go of Yu!" I shouted in midair as I swung my foot down in an axe kick similar to the one I had blocked from Chie the day before. The doppelganger tossed Yu aside, and I assumed Yosuke caught him from the grunt I heard out of him. She then threw her forearm up to block my kick and threw me aside. I rolled as I hit the ground and took up my stance in front of the downed Chie.

"Yukiko doesn't need me," The clone drawled. "I need her! She's always so pretty and getting asked out on dates, and the one guy I like, doesn't even notice me!" I narrowed my eyes as her voice distorted even further. She then turned to look at Yu and Yosuke and took a step towards them. "You don't even think of me as a girl, do you Yosuke? I'm not as girly or dainty or pretty as Yukiko, and I'm not even on your radar, am I?" If we weren't in such a dangerous position, the look on Yosuke's face would've been priceless. Yu's face twisted into one of determination and he stepped in front of our friend.

"Who are you?" Chie cried out from behind me, her hands now grabbing at my shoulder.

"Who am I?" The clone looked at Chie who was leaning on my shoulder. My face fell, and I cursed. "I'm you, dumbass!"

"You look like me, you sound like me, but you aren't me! I don't feel that way about Yosuke, and Yukiko is my best friend!" Chie was screaming by the time she was done, and Yosuke had sweat dropped.

The laughing that started emitting from the double's mouth was terrifying. It was somehow a mix of a crow's screeching, Chie's laughing and a heavy distortion pedal that was used with an electrical guitar. I found myself walking towards the double, and I spoke evenly to Yu and Yosuke. "Get ready. On three, we go for the kill!" Once I finished my battle cry, I broke out into a full sprint and leapt into the air once again, attempting to drive my blade into the skull of what could only be described as a giant dominatrix sitting on a throne of black tentacles. She swatted me out of the air with a giant whip, and I landed hard. I struggled to get up as I saw Yu and a giant, trench coated man in a white mask and a spearsword swinging their weapons in an overhead arc while Yosuke and a smaller, more lithe man in a frog-looking helmet peppered her with mini tornados. She couldn't keep up with the both of them, and was always getting hit by one until she waved her hand and suddenly Yosuke's tornados didn't have the same effect. I finally stood straight up, on shaky legs, and felt something in my mind shatter. I looked behind me, and Leo was standing tall and proud. He gave me a nod, and I shouted over to Yu and Yosuke. "Yu, we gotta get Yosuke some breathing room, those tornados were killing it before!" I held my left straight out in front of me, before shouting, "Leo, get her with Megido!" A beam of white light shot out of Leo's hands, hitting Shadow Chie in the abdomen as Yu brought his sword up from the ground, vertically bisecting the green shield that had been erected around Chie's shadow. I shouted to Yosuke while keeping myself focused on holding the spell. "Yosuke, I need the biggest tornado you got right at her core! Now!"

With a shout of "Garula!" A tornado of bigger size than before rose up from the ground at Shadow Chie's feet and ripped her to shreds, throwing the humanoid form to the ground, across from the real Chie. The three of us were breathing heavily, and Yosuke fell to his hands and knees. I rested my hands on my thighs and panted, Yu did the same. Shadow Chie now resembled the real Chie again, aside from the eyes. She was breathing harder than us, and was about to speak when Chie stood in front of her, tears dripping off her face.

"I get it, you're me. You're every part of me that I don't show anyone, because they make me feel weird and useless. You're me," She blushed and glanced at Yosuke. "And I'm you." An apparition of Chie's Persona, Tomoe appeared behind her before she collapsed. Yosuke, who had since gotten off the floor dove and caught her before she could hit the ground. Chie snuggled into Yosuke's shoulder and he blushed.

"So you like me, huh…?" Yosuke mumbled to himself. I shook my head of the cobwebs for the second time that afternoon, crouching down and placing my hand on his shoulder. I spoke softly.

"Get her out of here. Yu and I will go get Yukiko. Go get her help, and be there for her. She's gonna need you." Yu gave his other shoulder a pat.

"Yeah, thanks guys," He stood up, carrying Chie piggyback. He ran back towards the exit. "Good luck with Yukiko!" He shouted just as he crossed the threshold. Yu and I looked at each other, and I helped him up off the floor.

"Normally, I'd crack a joke here, but now's not the time. Yukiko needs a hero, Yu. What do you say? You still up for it?" Half of me was hoping he'd want to put this off from sheer exhaustion, but the other half was screaming at me to go rescue her.

Yu's answer was a short nod and a sprint towards the stairs.

Yu and I yanked open the giant, cathedral-like doors and ran inside to see Yukiko in a disheveled kimono on her hands and knees and her Shadow sitting on a throne bored. Their reactions were polar opposites.

"Yu-kun, take your friend and get out of here!" The real Yukiko yelled as loud as she could, but it came out barely louder than a whisper.

"**Oh look, My Prince, Yu-kun, and the Royal Court Jester! I might swoon…**" My left eyebrow twitched, and I grumbled to Yu.

"What say we end her right now?" He just shook his head and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Yukiko, whatever she says, that's your shadow! She's the part of you you've been hiding from everyone, and it's ok! We're here for you. Just accept her, and let's go home!" Yukiko gasped, and the Shadow just broke out in a hysterical laugh.

"**It doesn't work like that, my Prince!**" Her face contorted in anger, and she lunged for Yu. "**I will have you!**" An inhuman screech erupted from her mouth as she spoke, and it took all I had to not plug my ears. I saw Yukiko standing on weakened legs, and the words we were dreading came.

"You are way too forward and outgoing to be me… You're not me!" She collapsed, and mid step, Shadow Yukiko transformed into a giant phoenix that held the real Yukiko inside of it.

"**I will make you my Prince… **_**Whether you like it or not!**_**"** That time, I did plug my ears. I drew my sword and looked for Yu only to see him get batted out of the air and land hard on the tiled floor. I rushed over to him, attempting to avoid the white-hot fireballs threatening to burn me to a crisp. I successfully helped him to his feet, and we stood side by side, staring the red bird down. "**Is that all you two have? I'd have thought my Prince would be stronger than this,"** She cackled.

"Yu, can you get Izanagi to stand under the cage?" I questioned him quickly.

"Yeah, but why?" His look was quizzical, and that was something I couldn't have.

"Trust me. You have thirty seconds." He looked at me in disbelief as Izanagi stood under the cage. "Leo! Throw your blade at the bird's feet in tandem with mine in twenty seconds! Yu, shock the bird!" I was mentally counting down from fifteen as Yu called out to have Izanagi use Zio. "Leo…_Now!_" My Persona and I threw our swords at the same time, and like buzz saws, they headed directly for Shadow Yukiko's feet. Forced to let go of the cage, Izanagi caught it and put it far away from the bird. "Yu, go!" I ran for my sword, which had clattered helplessly on the ground behind the Shadow. I kept looking back and saw Yu drag his sword on the ground until he leapt up bringing his - now somehow coursing with electricity – sword up in a vertical slice, gutting the Shadow. Black ink was spewing forth, and Yu was covered in it. I sheathed my sword and held out my left hand, Leo doing the same. "Leo, prepare Megido!" I groan was my response as Yu looked at me with concern in his eyes. "Yu, if you want to finish her off, finish her off. Otherwise, I'm ending this right now!" A look of sheer shock passed over Yu's face as he noticed the giant ball of blinding white energy forming directly above my head.

"Don't do it, Brian!" He shouted at me, his answer clear. I lowered my hand, and my vision went red, and it wasn't from anger – Shadow Yukiko was preparing something big, and she was glowing red. I put my hand back up and stared at Yu.

"She's going to use something big, and if you don't finish her, I will. This isn't the real Yukiko, Yu! You don't have to worry about hurting her!" His face showed a new determination, and he faced Shadow Yukiko without fear.

"Izanagi!" He threw his arm out just like mine, and gave a battle cry. "Zionga!" Lighting flew from Izanagi's fingertips and scorched the poor bird back to its human-esque form. I crouched down and took a deep breath, my exhaustion finally catching up to me. I heard footsteps, and half-expected Yu to be running over to check on me, but I shook those thoughts away.

_(Yukiko is more important at the moment. I just have to suck it up.)_ I lifted my shirt and saw my bloody chest. _(Chie's Shadow certainly knows how to hurt someone…)_ I touched a finger to where the whip caught me and winced. I'd have to get that cleaned up and wrapped. As I took another breath in, I started coughing, my arms instinctively clutching at my ribs. _(Yeah, definitely cracked a rib or two. This _sucks_!)_ I stood up gingerly, and looked over at the two of them. Yu and Yukiko walking over to me, Yu had Yukiko's arm wrapped around his shoulder, supporting her as they moved. Yukiko gasped, and Yu glared at me, pointing at my now reddened shirt, and my arm wrapped around my waist. I winced. "I'm fine, I swear. Chie's Shadow got me good, that's all. A little wrapping and I'll be good as new in a week or two." Yu shrugged, having a feeling for how stubborn I was going to be about it, but Yukiko looked like she was going to argue. As soon as her mouth opened to say something, Yu kissed her into silence. _(Guess he confessed after all.)_ I sighed. "Come on you two, we're losing daylight. I have a few things to pick up in Junes before it closes."

* * *

"For the last time, I'll be fine! I'm gonna get some stuff and I'll see you at home, Yu. Get Yukiko-chan home, ok?" Yu shrugged and started to walk off, but Yukiko wouldn't let up.

"But Brian-kun, you're hurt!" I glared at her.

"Yukiko-chan, I'm _fine._ Yu is waiting to take you home. Please go." I was starting to get pissed. I appreciated the worry, but I had dealt with much worse. Not to mention I was still in control of my facilities, and I was breathing. 'Albeit with a bit of pain, but they don't need to know that,' I considered myself well enough, so they needed to respect that. I turned my back to the exit and waved as the two of them stepped onto the bus. _(Now where is the music department?)_

**25 minutes later**

I stepped up to counter with 10 rolls of medical tape, various ointments and salves, a few bags of cotton balls, and a ticket that I handed to the cashier. She entered it into the computer she was working with and said, "That'll be 15,000 yen. I'll take care of this here, but for this," she waved the ticket at me, "You'll need to wait about 2 or three minutes for someone to bring it out of the back." I thanked her and paid, officially emptying my wallet. I grabbed the bags and sat on a small bench they had placed near the registers, and soon enough a large man in a dusty apron came walking through the double doors, holding a gigantic box, more long than tall.

"Number 39!" I stood up gingerly and walked over to him. Handing him the ticket, he checked it and nodded, handing me the box by the handle. "This one's special. You take care of her, you hear?" I could only nod, I was much too tired to talk anymore. I mumbled him a thank you and headed for home.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to drop beneath the horizon when I stepped through the door. Nanako was watching television, and when I came into view, she mumbled a "Dad's working late tonight…" to me. I shook my head and headed upstairs. I placed the box on my bed carefully, taking the bag of medical supplies with me into the bathroom. It seemed Yu wasn't here yet, so I got to undressing. When I was completely naked, I soaked a few cotton balls in peroxide and got to cleaning the lashes on my skin. I winced every time the medicine-soaked cotton ball touched the tender area, but when it was finally clean, I rubbed a soothing salve over the area and taped a large patch of gauze over it. Seeing no other damaged areas, I wrapped my ribs up in the medical tape starting just under the pectorals and ending below my belly button. I threw my dirty uniform in the hamper.

'If she questions it, I'll just say I fell playing soccer or something.' I walked into my room, and threw on a pair of ripped up old jeans and a t-shirt with my favorite band on it before walking downstairs. Nanako was still glued to the 'tube, so I sat down next to her and asked her a question. "Have you had anything to eat yet, Nanako-chan?" She jumped about three feet into the air with surprise. When I calmed her down, she mumbled that she wasn't hungry, and I looked at the clock. 6:45 P.M. There was no was no way in hell that she wasn't hungry, and it was at that moment that I heard a growl so intense and vicious that I thought a demon had entered the house. Nanako just blushed in embarrassment and I patted her shoulder. "Come on, Nanako-chan, let's go make something to eat." We stood up and walked, hand in hand, over to the kitchen table. "I don't have very much experience in cooking, Nanako-chan. I can do simple things like that chinese food I made the other night, though, and since you're hungry, we can make lots of it. How about ramen?" Her eyes lit up brighter than a Christmas tree and she hugged me around the waist. I hissed in pain and hoped she didn't notice. "So, where's your dad keep the noodles?"

* * *

Nanako hugged me for what seemed to be the millionth time that night, and I had finally adjusted to it. When I looked at the clock again, it was 8:30. Time had really flown it seemed, and I remembered that it was just about Nanako's bedtime. "Come on kiddo, time for bed." I stood up, but Nanako wasn't budging. She was just looking at me with a pout and puppy dog eyes.

"But I don't wanna go to bed yet, oniichan!" That was the other thing. After spending some time with her, and actively engaging in her life, listening to her stories about school tonight, she had taken to calling me her big brother. I thought it was endearing, but also dangerous – I was a huge softie for kids, and had trouble saying no to them. I sighed, but perked up as an idea popped into my head.

"Imouto, I'll make you a deal," She perked up, with a smile on her face so big that her eyes had closed. "I have a surprise for you, but after I'm finished, it's bedtime, sound good?"

"Ok!" Straight to the point. She was going to grow up to be very dangerous.

"Alright, imouto. Just let me grab it from my room, and I'll be right down." I stood up from the couch and made for the stairs. As I was opening the bedroom door, I heard the door open, and realized Yu was home. I grabbed the box from my bed and headed back down the stairs. I passed Yu on the stairs and told him to hurry up and come back down after he had gotten cleaned up. I sat down on the couch with the box at my feet, and Nanako stared in wonder at it.

"Sugoi! Oniichan, what's inside?" I could only chuckle at her child-like wonder as I ripped the box open only to reveal another box on the inside, and Nanako huffed. I outright laughed and grabbed at my ailing ribs.

'Note to self, laughing with broken ribs sucks.' I opened the two latches on the textured, black box, and flipped it open, revealing a bluish-grey electric guitar with a black pick guard. Nanako's face was again one of wonder as I grabbed the instrument from the pinkish fur-like material that lined the interior of the case. I leaned forward and grabbed a pick, and gently strummed each string until they were all tuned, playing a few chords to make sure everything sounded alright. I looked over at Yu who was now sitting net to Nanako with his arm around her.

"I didn't know you played, Brian." Yu had a curious expression on his face.

I nodded. "Well, back in the 'States, around fourth grade, we had to pick an instrument to learn. They weren't offering the bass guitar, and they had too many drummers, so I picked up guitar. Its nothing more than a hobby of mine really, but people have said I'm pretty good, so…" I trailed off.

"Yeah, they did that here, too. They wanted me to learn piano, but I just wasn't getting it." Yu chuckled, and I nodded.

"Well, I'd like to play two songs for you, and then its bedtime, imouto. Promise?" Nanako nodded.

"I promise!"

I ruffled her hair. "Alright, so just keep in mind that the songs I sing are just that. There's no hidden meanings or anything, I just enjoy playing them. The first one's called 'Anything But Ordinary', and its sung by a girl, so I think my version is a bit interesting." They chuckled, and I started strumming.

**Sometimes I get so weird**

**I even freak myself out**

**I laugh myself to sleep**

**It's my lullaby**

**Sometimes I drive so fast**

**Just to feel the danger**

**I wanna scream**

**It makes me feel alive**

Nanako and Yu were swaying to the song as I played, a grin on my face.

**Is it enough to love?**

**Is it enough to breathe?**

**Somebody rip my heart out**

**And leave me here to bleed**

**Is it enough to die?**

**Somebody save my life**

**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please**

Yu was looking at me weirdly, but I just closed my eyes and kept going.

**To walk within the lines**

**Would make my life so boring**

**I want to know that I **

**Have been to the extreme**

**So knock me off my feet**

**Come on now give it to me**

**Anything to make me feel alive**

**Is it enough to love?**

**Is it enough to breathe?**

**Somebody rip my heart out**

**And leave me here to bleed**

**Is it enough to die?**

**Somebody save my life**

**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please**

**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.**

I started ad-libbing a solo for them, a little simple blues chord progression, before returning to the lyrics, going a little over the top with the next part.

**Let down your defenses**

**Use no common sense**

**If you look you will see **

**that this world is a beautiful **

**accident turbulent succulent **

**opulent permanent, no way**

**I wanna taste it **

**Don't wanna waste it away**

I put my finger to my lips and whispered the next few lines.

**Sometimes I get so weird**

**I even freak myself out**

**I laugh my self to sleep**

**It's my lullaby**

As I started to sing the final lines, I noticed the two of them were both humming along with the chorus, so I stopped singing and smiled at them as I kept playing.

**Is it enough?**

**Is it enough?**

**Is it enough to breathe?**

**Somebody rip my heart out**

**And leave me here to bleed**

**Is it enough to die?**

**Somebody save my life**

**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please**

**Is it enough?**

**Is it enough to die?**

**Somebody save my life**

**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please**

**I'd rather be anything but ordinary please.**

I stopped playing and cleared my throat. "So what'd you think?"

They both clapped, and Nanako was giggling as Yu gave me a thumbs up.

"Alright, this is the last one for tonight. Any suggestions for rock music I might know?" Yu spoke up.

"Just play another one you know and enjoy, it'll be fun, right Nanako-chan?"

"Right, big bro!" The two of them laughed, and I just smiled at the scene before me. In just a short amount of time, the three of us had become a family, and I was really enjoying myself here.

"Alright, well, this one's called 'Honestly' and I hope you enjoy it." I cleared my throat again before strumming the opening chords.

**Please don't mind what I'm trying to say 'cause I'm, I'm being honest**

**When I tell you that you**

**You're part of the reason I'm so set on the rest of my life**

**Being a part of you**

**You tell me what you think about being open,**

**About being honest with yourself**

**'Cause things will never be the same.**

**So I guess I'll see you, I'll see you around**

**I'm spinning while I'm falling down**

**Now you know why I'm begging you to stay**

**And don't waste time getting to the point, 'cause I'm, I'm patiently waiting**

**For your next phone call, your next excuse for losing sleep again**

**Tell me what you think about being open,**

**About being honest with yourself**

**'Cause things will never be the same**

**So I guess I'll see you, I'll see you around**

**I'm spinning while I'm falling** **down**

**Now you know why I'm begging you to stay**

**'Cause I can't stop it now**

**It's so amazing how**

**I know I cant, I could never walk away**

They had both hummed along with the first part, Nanako a little louder than Yu, but I still saw the swaying. I once again exaggerated the solo, adding a few more power chords than necessary for the sake of having fun.

**How can we resolve this now**

**We let it go, and wonder how **

**This can never be the same**

**Can never be the same**

**So I guess I'll see you, I'll see you around**

**I'm spinning while I'm falling down**

**Now you know why I'm begging you, I'm begging!**

**'Cause I can't stop it now,**

**It's so amazing how,**

**I know I cant, I could never walk away.**

**Please don't mind what I'm trying to say, 'cause I'm, I'm being honest.**

I put the guitar back into its case and tossed the pick on top of it. Locking it shut, I looked over at Nanako. "Alright, kiddo. Now its time for bed, you promised." She nodded sleepily and I led her to her room. "Good night, imouto. See you in the morning." She hugged me and I walked back out to the living room to grab my guitar case. I started for the stairs and turned to Yu, leaning on my guitar case. "There's some extra ramen on the counter, may be a little cool now. I'm assuming you ate at Yukiko-chan's place?" He nodded and started for the stairs himself.

* * *

I was sitting on my futon, absently strumming my guitar when Yu spoke to me. "Alright, Brian. Put down the guitar for a minute and take off your shirt."

"Woah there, tiger. You gotta take me to dinner first." My reply was admittedly childish, but I didn't want him worrying so much about me.

"Shirt off, now." His tone left no room for argument, so I took off the t-shirt that I had taken to sleeping in. His eyes widened slowly when he saw the bandages wrapped heavily around my midsection.

"Its honestly not that bad, and I probably overdid it with the bandages," I said softly. "That whip caught me real good, Yu. It was awful bloody, but nothing serious. It's cleaned up under there." He nodded at me, but his expression didn't change. I went on, "Honestly, the whip wasn't the worst. The landing killed me. For whatever reason, our physical limitations are less in the TV, so I wasn't expecting to jump nearly as high as I did. When I landed, I'm pretty sure I cracked a rib or two, that's what the bandages are for. I'll be fine in a week or two, I swear. Just no mention of this to Dojima-oji, ok?" He sighed and nodded again.

"I know I asked you to be our leader, and you have great ideas," he started. "But you really need to watch out for yourself in there. You can't take huge risks in there and not expect to get hurt. No matter what you think you have to prove to anyone about who you are, you're not Superman, Brian. And you never will be. It's physically impossible. You're an amazing person to have gone through what you've gone through, but we need you at your best in there, not some crippled mess who took one too many risks. You're our friend Brian, and kind of like some backwoods cousin to me." He sighed, and I looked at him weirdly.

'That was the most I've ever hear you speak at one time, Yu!" He smacked me upside the head, and we shared a laugh before laying down to sleep for the night, an air of calmness over us for the first time since we arrived.

* * *

**Songs used:  
Anything But Ordinary by Avril Lavigne**

**Honestly by Cartel**

**Just saying this now, if anyone has an issue with me using music in this fiction, you can stick it. :P I grew up learning trumpet, but I also enjoy singing, and you can't do both with an instrument like that, so I used the typical guitar, sue me. It won't be a common thing, just in intimate settings. Although I do have an idea for something in the future, you'll just have to wait on that.**

**On that note, I apologize for this chapter taking so long. I got pretty sick the week before class started, and didn't have the energy to write, and then classes started up, and I don't have much time. So updates may be a bit sporadic, but this story will not be abandoned. I'm determined to see it through to the end.**

**The next chapter will see Yukiko's intro to the group, and then a time skip to the day that Kanji shows up on the news. **

**As always, reviews/follows/favorites help me find the urge to write, and constructive criticism is always welcomed, but flames will be ignored. This is my story, after all. **

**-Miles**


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